'Administrative Heart' Sejong Also Faces COVID-19 Emergency

Thermal Imaging Cameras Installed at Entrances... Entry Restricted if Fever Detected

Official Schedules Including External Events Canceled or Postponed One After Another

Thermal imaging camera installed at the main entrance (Building 2-1) of the Fair Trade Commission on the morning of the 24th. The Government Complex Management Headquarters individually rechecks the temperature of entrants with a body temperature of 37.5℃ or higher, and restricts entry if fever symptoms are finally confirmed.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] "This entrance is closed. Please use another nearby entrance equipped with a thermal imaging camera." (Official from the Government Sejong Complex Management Headquarters)

The administrative capital Sejong, where central government ministries are concentrated, has also been put on alert due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Over the weekend, the first confirmed COVID-19 case occurred in Sejong, and with the nationwide surge in confirmed cases, the crisis alert level was raised to the highest stage, 'Severe,' on the 23rd. Accordingly, from the early morning of the 24th, thermal imaging cameras were installed at the main entrances of the Government Sejong Complex, and entrances without cameras have been sealed off.

An official from the Complex Management Headquarters explained, "Out of a total of 33 entrances to the Government Sejong Complex, thermal imaging cameras have been installed at 19 locations to check body temperature, and there are plans to expand the installation and operation areas of the cameras. If a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher is detected, the temperature is rechecked, and if a fever symptom is confirmed, entry to the complex is restricted."

On the same day, the Complex Management Headquarters sent official letters to each ministry requesting cooperation on ▲ thermal imaging camera measurements ▲ closure of multi-use facilities such as fitness centers and multipurpose halls ▲ isolation of employees with fever symptoms during work in separate locations ▲ disinfection, entry control, and closure of areas around suspected infected persons and their movement paths. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance and others are restricting entry to the complex for those not wearing masks.

External schedules of each ministry are also being postponed or scaled down one after another. For example, the Fair Trade Commission reduced the scale of a meeting with LG Electronics and its partner companies held in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the same day. Originally, the Fair Trade Commission planned to provide vehicles for the press corps between Sejong and Hwaseong to promote exemplary cases of win-win cooperation between large and small-medium enterprises to minimize COVID-19 damage, and planned a luncheon with Chairman Chosung-wook and the press corps after the event, but these were canceled, and only the main event was held. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also postponed the 'Cheonan City Bus Public Garage Construction Project Resident Briefing' scheduled for the evening, and the National Tax Service completely canceled the planned site visit by the commissioner on the 27th. This is to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by avoiding events attended by unspecified large numbers of people.

Additionally, regular briefings held every Monday by each ministry have been replaced with written reports, and official luncheons and dinners have been postponed indefinitely. Actual scheduled luncheons hosted by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance’s Fiscal Management Officer and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Energy Resources Director were canceled. Korea Electric Power Corporation postponed a dinner with the press corps hosted by the president indefinitely last week.

A government official said, "Most external schedules, official luncheons and dinners, as well as personal appointments, are being canceled. If a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case emerges in a central government ministry, work paralysis is inevitable, so the top priority right now is to reduce face-to-face contact to prevent the spread."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Personnel Management recently mandated that public officials returning from Hubei Province, China, must undergo a 2-week self-quarantine even if they show no COVID-19 symptoms. This period is treated as 'official leave.' Also, if a family member is a confirmed COVID-19 patient or is quarantined, the public official is not allowed to go to work until the family member fully recovers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.